The First Night of Mrs Redfern
by Chronicles of Lewis
Summary: This story picks up where the novel has left off. The chapters will be short and yet "fluffy" as romantic love is often referred to in fan fics. I've been considering this as additional chapters to my my 30 Seconds story although the narration is different. Do you think it should be added to that story or stay here as a stand alone? Comments are appreciated. Happy reading...
1. Chapter 1

Their sheer happiness spilled out in waves of laughter as Valancy and her husband Barney took to his classic Grey Slosson and he fired up the engine. Not even the roar of the old automobile could overtake Valancy's laugh. After an unending night of separation and uncertainty for each, they had revealed their true love for each other and made their union unbreakable in the presence of her family, who had up until this day greatly disapproved of their marriage. Things change however when part of the truth in their love involves a recovered heart, a family fortune and a very successful internationally known author to boot.

"Uncle Benjamin was too much today, I should hardly recognize him. Not once did he ask me to play along with his corny jokes."

Valancy said through her laughter as she opened the passenger side window to feel the breeze. Barney shook his head and pulled her over close to his side. He kept one arm over her and the other at the wheel.

"I think that the family table has been turned, Moonlight. It's like I was their prodigal son returned home too. I've already played that part once today when I talked with Father this morning."

"Only it was your father who searched you out. I am happy that he did too."

"He has asked us out to dinner this evening at the hotel at Port. I would rather have a quiet evening at home alone with you."

"Then let's have both. We'll join your father for a little while, I would like to get to know him better, then return to the Blue Castle tonight. Did you see the look on Cousin Stickle's face when we entered the dining room? I wasn't sure if she was going to box your ears or ask for an autograph."

They laughed as curious onlookers at the roadside watched them pass by.

"I suspect that your mother still has some reserve about her enigmatic son in law. She had so many questions, it was like being in a constable's interview." Barney shouted over the loud engine.

Valancy raised her hand to where his rested on her shoulder and their fingers instinctively interlaced.

"Darling, it's a good thing that you have all that experience with being a thief and a drunkard and a rebel-rouser in the past, tangling with the authorities should be nothing new to you."

"Of course, my dear." Barney kissed his wife on the forehead and released her only long enough to shift the auto up another gear.

"I missed you so much last night." Valancy admitted as she lowered her face into his shoulder.

"I couldn't get to you soon enough, it seemed. I think that my Father even knew that when we were talking this morning. When you entered your Mother's parlor, its like—I was able to breathe again, you know?"

"Yes, I do. Being in my old room was stifling to me. By the time that I heard your automobile pull up, I had already become that caged bird who wouldn't leave even with the door wide open. I thought that you might be angry, that I had tricked you. I didn't intend..."

"I know your heart too well, love. That mistaken letter was the best thing that has ever happened to me...to you and I."

A familiar man on the roadside waved to Barney and he tilted his head forward to acknowledge the person. Valancy continued aloud in her thoughts.

"Would you believe that it was Uncle Benjamin who talked me out of there?" She laughed.

"Not in a million years."

"He said that you would come up and get me if I didn't come down right away."

Barney smiled for hearing that Uncle Benjamin would actually do something in his favor.

"Your uncle is quite perceptive. Not only would I insist upon finding you, I would insist upon carrying you away all together, as I've told you, you belong to the wild now."

"Let's go home." Valancy scooted in tighter as the car steered off of the main roads.


	2. The Return Home

The afternoon sun was hot and a warm breeze made the pines on their island home move like they were dancing as Barney and Valancy reached their boat dock. He helped her out of the boat and did not let go of her hand. Valancy had hoped for a welcome home kiss like the first time that he had brought her to his island although he was leading her towards the Blue Castle. Just before they reached the cabin, he turned her towards the forbidden lean-to, Valancy hesitated at the door.

"Come with me." He whispered.

"No, this is your haven, I will not intrude on your own space again."

Barney leaned in very close to her ear and traced her neckline with his fingers.

"Valancy, no secrets between us from now on, I want there to be nothing between us. You are my own flesh and spirit in this world and whatever lays beyond it."

Going a little weak in the knees, she relented and followed him inside. The pearl necklace was still laying on the writing desk. Barney took it up and held it for a moment. Valancy knew that he was thinking about finding her letter last night and how it must have made him feel. He placed the necklace around her neck and his hands lingered there against her collar bone. She drew in her breath more loudly than she had meant to and he smiled. Caught up in his gaze, she awaited a hoped for homecoming kiss. He turned away and took up the manuscript that she had found last night which revealed his alias persona that she had always adored, long before they had even met. He took a seat at the small sofa in Bluebeard's Chamber and she took her place next to him.

"There's something here that I want to read to you. Do you remember the night that we slept under the pines on the far side of the lake and there seemed to be the whole universe of stars in the sky above us?"

His voice had reached that wooing tone that arrested Valancy's affection for him every time.

"I do, we imagined that we could reach out to them together and become a part of their place in the heavens too." She recalled.

"I was inspired then, there were thoughts that I wanted to say to you that would reveal who I am as Jack Foster for I know that no one in this world can recognize my writing better than you. Let me read those thoughts to you now."

He flipped through his document until finding the right page, a small heart had been drawn with pencil in the margin recognizing the passage that he wanted to share. Valancy braced. After all these years of dreaming and identifying with this distant man of nature, to actually be here, in love and hearing it from his own voice could overwhelm her completely. He began to read his words for her about a radiant existence of spirits out beyond where time has no sway and not even the darkest night can break their connection in the heavens.

Now, here was his true voice to go with all the passages in every one of his books that she knows by heart. Valancy could hear everything as he spoke his thoughts. The beauty of that night that they shared camping out in the woods, the hope that it brought to each and yet there was his feelings laid bare. He _had been_ greatly affected by her believed heart condition and that they would not always be together. He wanted their bond to go on forever. Valancy felt a rush of tears come with her sadness and joy. She covered her face in her hands.

"Moonlight, don't cry now, I know. Like I said, it's hard for me convey anything that goes deep, except here in my writing. I want you to be the first to read this, my love."

He closed the manuscript and set it on a chair. He wiped away her tears with his own fingers and pushed her hair back away from her face. She looked intently into his eyes, took a deep breath then claimed her welcome home kiss from his eager lips. There was more passion in their embrace than ever before. Her lips were still tingling as he nuzzled into her neck and she fell back on the sofa cushions. If either had felt as though they could not breathe the night before, they couldn't seem to catch their breath now. The small lean-to seemed hot inside. Valancy kicked off her shoes. Barney took a hold at the small of her back to pulled her in closer.

A car horn sounded across the lake waters. The couple didn't notice it at first. The second time was even louder.

"Go — away." Barney growled into Valancy's left shoulder.

She began to laugh as she ran her fingers through his tousled hair.

"Let me guess..."

"My Father takes dinner early. How could I forget?"

"My lover, consider that we are a little distracted right now."

"A little, I say a fair deal more than a little, my girl."

Barney moved away from being over Valancy yet he did not release her. The car horn repeated. She smoothed out his shirt collar then got up and started for the door. He held her hand and stood up beside her.

"Wait."

He patted down her hair, placing a lock behind her ear caressing it and her jaw line. They kissed once more before stepping out together to greet Doctor Redfern.


	3. The Hotel at Port Lawrence

The Doctor was very happy to see the his son and daughter in law together for the first time. They rode in the back of his beautiful automobile. The plush interior was unlike any car that Valancy had been in or much less even seen. It made her Aunt and Uncle Wellington's car seem like a country classic in comparison. The ride was so smooth that the change from country back roads to city pavement was unnoticeable to the passengers. That did not matter to Valancy, she was happy to be anywhere that was next to her husband tonight.

The hotel at Port Lawrence was beautiful in a classic style, Valancy had not been there before although she had dreamed in younger days of leaving her Blue Castle with a charming suitor to visit it, they would drink wine from crystal in one of the sitting rooms together and converse about their thoughts on many topics.

The wait staff was extra attentive to their special guest and his family. Valancy was glad to have changed from her gingham frock into a green chiffon and sandals with heels before they had left the Blue Castle. Still, she felt under dressed compared to the lavish attire of the ladies at dinner tonight. She was looking at the other women when she felt her hand on her knee being taken up and held by Barney underneath the table. He gave her a wink, she tried to smile. A waiter approached carrying a chilled bottle that was wrapped in a folded cloth.

"Dr. Redfern, the house recommends the Chateau Munier Demi-Sec, this evening."

"Ah, yes, yes, that is good." The Doctor said before sipping his coffee.

"Mr. and Mrs. Redfern?"

Valancy couldn't hold back a smile now. Barney tapped against her foot with his own. He nodded his approval of the selection to the waiter.

"If you will excuse me for a moment." The Doctor explained. "I have remembered something in my room that I wanted to bring down. I'll only be a moment." He left the table.

Barney turned to his wife.

"It's good to see you smile like that, now let me in on the joke."

"What joke? I'm trying to be relaxed in this fancy atmosphere. It's just when the waiter said..."

Valancy paused.

"It's champagne. You haven't even had any of it yet and you're already grinning like the cat who swallowed the canary." Barney teased.

"He said, Mr. and Mrs. Redfern. It's the first time that I have heard...heard us referred to together by that name. It feels like we're characters in a high society themed play. I have loved being Mrs. Barney Snaith." Valancy hoped that Barney wouldn't take that the wrong way, Redfern was his true name after all.

"I am still me, you are still my sweet woodland muse. We won't let any of this change us, Mrs. Snaith."

"That's better, my wild backwoodsman."

He stole a kiss on the cheek and they laughed as the waiter opened the bottle and poured the drinks.

By the time Old Doc Redfern had returned. They were each on their second drink and laughing about inside jokes.

"I have a wonderful surprise for you, son. This has been hidden away for a long time, I just couldn't part with it until now. I know that it will be well cared for by its new owners."

He handed over a green velvet bag with a tie string at the top to his son. Barney opened the bag to find inside two beautiful sculpted silver bracelets. One was much smaller than the other, both had tiny matching rose inlays all the way around.

"This belonged to your mother. She inherited the matching mother and child bracelets from her family. They are very old."

Barney flipped the bracelets around over and over in his fingers as he talked.

"I wish she were here now. She deserved this luxurious kind of lifestyle."

"No, she was too much like you, boy. Happier in the wild country, making up delicious recipes from the nature all around her. She could make a jam from wild blackberries that tasted like heaven had sent it down. She would write beautiful descriptive letters to her family and friends. She wanted to travel and see new places too. You are all her's in many ways."

"What did she look like, Dr. Redfern?" Valancy wanted to know more.

"She was a little taller than you, dark eyes, long hair, it was the same color as my son here and she had the sweetest smile. Her laughter was angelic, like yours."

"I can't remember as much." Barney stared at the bracelets that he rolled between his fingers.

"She would be very proud of your accomplishments." The good doctor affirmed.

"I will dedicate my next book to her memory."

"That's a fine idea, son."

Valancy felt a bit light headed from the Champagne so she started drinking her water instead.

"Those are the sweetest pieces of jewelry that I have ever owned. Take good care of them. Won't the little one look sweet around a child's wrist...soon?" The Doctor could be less than subtle some times.

When Valancy had set her water glass down, Barney took a hold of her hand and placed the bracelet around her wrist then put the smaller one into her palm.

"Yes, it would." He smiled at her with adoration in his eyes.

Valancy felt her face go a little flush and the Doctor was practically laughing at the two of them.

"We must finish our dinner soon, the show starts at seven!" Doctor Redfern recalled.

"What show?" Valancy looked up from the child's bracelet.

"I'm taking you to the picture show tonight. There's a battle film that I have been wanting to see."

"Battle?" Valancy looked to her husband who was obviously dismayed,

"This film is all the rage in the United States, it's critically acclaimed. I know you will like it."

The Doc was so enthusiastic.

"Father, I didn't sleep well last night...or the night before that, its been a very long day for Valancy and I."

"Humor and old man, just for tonight."

"Barney, let's go. It will be like those times when you would take me away from Roaring Abel's for the evening." Valancy wanted to please her new father in law.

Barney said nothing although he literally threw in the towel – over his plate. Doc Redfern called for the waiter.


	4. In A Dark Theater

The theater was dark during the film for even the picture itself was very dark. The film companies had figured out how to use cameras in low light and were taking full advantage of it by using many night scenes. Doc Redfern sat on the left with Barney at the center seat and Valancy to his right. Barney looked tired now, this dark room would soon put him to sleep. This was not how Valancy had envisioned how their night together would go although she was happy to be so near to where he was.

Valancy was not accustomed to seeing the violence of war on a big screen and so at times she would divert her eyes elsewhere. During one fight scene, she lowered her eyes to her hands that were crossed on her lap. Barney's right hand clutched the arm rest between them. She examined his hand, the shape and form of his long fingers and thought about all the beautiful words that it had written which had comforted her long before she even knew him. She wanted to know that this was real, that he was real and this wasn't some fantastic dream that could be taken away from her at any moment.

She needed to touch him. She lifted her left hand and delicately stroked his fingers with her own feeling the joints, then the veins of his hand. She couldn't stop herself. He made no reaction although he seemed to be more awake now. After a few minutes of this, his hand raised to catch hers. She pulled away fast. Her searching fingers returned to their soothing caresses. He tried to catch her hand again. She was quick. A small laugh escaped her mouth. Doc Redfern was engrossed in the movie, he didn't notice the lover's game that was taking place. Barney closed his eyes at the third time of caressing motions upon his hand. He leaned in to his wife's ear.

"If you had any idea what that is doing to me, you would stop it right now, dear one."

Valancy only giggled. She did not stop it, her curious fingers desired to touch his beautiful creative hand. Then he caught hers.

"I thought that you were tired." She whispered.

"Not quite. Let me show you what you've been doing - now."

He flipped her hand over so that the the palm was facing up. His fingers were now stroking, caressing from the finger tips across the soft center of her palm, the wrist, the arm and then starting another course of the same motions. Each time, his hand seemed a little less satisfied to stop where it had before. A little further up her arm, and little closer to her side. Valancy felt as though the the electric connection between them could power the projector in the room just above where they sat.

"You win, this time." Valancy conceded with a sigh.

Barney laughed in the triumphant way that he had earlier that day in the Stirling's parlor.

Their game of hands made the second part of the film far more enjoyable.

"I will let you try to win next time when we get home." Barney teased seductively.

Valancy hoped that the dark theater concealed her blush. He noticed it anyway.

"I hear that footsie is all the rage with the youth. I will be better at that." She teased.

"Don't count on it, dear."

They laughed, feeling silly about their theatrical flirtations. Doc Redfern joined in laughing for he had thought they were amused at something that happened in the film. Barney kissed Valancy's hand and they waited anxiously for the film to reach 'the end'.


	5. In The Mood

A pale crescent moon was high in the cloudless night sky when Barney and Valancy crossed the water to return home to their blue castle cabin on the lake. Valancy hummed a song that was playing in the dance hall scene of the movie that they had just watched.

"What is the name of that song?" Barney asked as he steered the prop motor.

"I don't know. I've heard it before yet I can't remember where."

"You can hum it beautifully."

"No. I think that all that bubbly Champagne has softened my voice." She laughed as she spoke.

"It was good. It ought to be." He clicked his tongue.

"It was expensive wasn't it?"

She knew that answer already.

"Does that matter?" He wasn't going to admit it if it was.

"That means yes." Valancy made a face and looked away.

"So you didn't like it?" He gave her a sideways glance.

"To be honest, I prefer the flavor of Cousin Georgiana's homemade dandelion wine. I think that we still have an unopened bottle in the pantry. I will go look for it."

"What did you think about the grand hotel?"

"Oh, it was lovely, even better than I had imagined it would be. Is that what hotels are like in the city? They must be even more grand than that."

"They are, yet they come a dime a dozen, each one trying to outdo the other until its all the same."

"I should like to see that for myself and yet..."

"Yet even more than grand hotels?" Barney leaned forward with interest.

"No. How could glittering chandeliers be any more mesmerizing than the moonlight on the water that we have here right now?"

"You amaze me every time." He shook his head.

"Because I like things simple the way they are now? If a simpleton, I am, than I embrace it fully." Valancy dramatically hugged herself.

"This evening, I've been thinking about how these extravagances might...influence you to think differently in the future. Still, you would rather stare at the moon instead. I think we're becoming more alike everyday."

"I hope so."

At the landing, Barney helped Valancy out of boat and on to the dock. He kissed her in the way that he had on the night of their wedding, soft and quick. With their arms linked, they walked up to the dark cabin. Valancy lit a couple of lamps and started searching the kitchen for that bottle of wine. Barney was in the main room up front, starting a fire at the hearth. After several minutes of searching, Valancy found the bottle and took out the stemmed glasses that were given to her as a gift. She found Barney still in the main room. Candles had been lit on each side of the room.

"I found our country folk version of champagne if you're in the mood, Barney."

He was leaning against the mantle staring into the fire.

"Dear, is everything all right?" Something seemed strange to her.

He looked up into her eyes with an intensity that said that he was in fact _in the mood_. Valancy Stirling would have gone weak and fainted under his gaze yet Mrs. Redfern reacted without any hesitation. She wrapped her arm over his shoulder and he took the bottle and glasses away with one hand and placed them on the mantle. She attempted to pace her breathing as his fingers traced the curves of her face and neck. She touched his collar bone and shoulder feeling the tension of the muscles in his arm. Her other hand felt the curve at the back his neck and burrowed into his soft hair. His eyes were closed. She felt a soft kiss against her neck and wished that his lips were already on hers. He kept her waiting as his exploration slowly reached to her face. There was no holding back in their kiss or embrace. They had always been so careful before since Valancy did not know how much he really felt for her and he did not know how much her weak heart could take. Their passion was now beyond previous limits.

In a quick motion, Barney picked her up in his arms. She expected to be carried into the other room. He surprised her by gently lowering her to the soft rug on the floor. Valancy felt desire and at ease with him being over her in this way. He loosened his shirt. She placed her hands on his smooth back underneath. She could feel his hand move from her shoulder, all the way down her side and leg until he raised it at the knee and removed her sandal, tossing it aside.

"Now, my girl, how is this footsie game played?" His voice was rough.

Valancy gave a low laugh

"You win, I concede, darling." She jested in short breaths.

"I thought that you might, sweetheart."

He tugged at the loose neckline of her dress exposing her shoulder and tasted it with kisses. She kissed him just under his ear. That's when he raised up and carried her to their room.

Hours later, they lay together in the dark listening to the birds sing their invitation for the sun to rise soon.

"Moonlight, how are you feeling now? Be honest with me." Barney requested as he wiped away the sweat at her forehead and pushed back her hair.

"I feel like...I'm yours in every way. We were somehow always meant to happen."

"I know. That's not what I was asking though. I can feel your heart beating against my own chest. Are you truly well?"

"Oh yes, stronger than ever it seems. Believe me, its true. I love you."

"I want to believe you. I love you intensely. I was remembering those nights that you weren't feeling well..."

"Careful, remember our agreement?" She took ahold of his chin.

"Yes, I know." He recalled as he stroked her bare shoulder. "It's part of a husband's duty to worry about his wife's well being, I can't help that."

"As it is for a wife to take care of her husband's well being too."

"Oh, you've done that tonight, love. Many times, I would dare say."

"Stop." She laughed as she pat him on the arm.

Valancy reached for a robe and sat up.

"Where are you going?" He whined playfully.

"To make our breakfast, of course."

"Neither of us has slept in over two days, lets get some rest."

The collar of the robe slipped down from Valancy's shoulder when she got to the edge of the bed.

"Somehow, I think that if I stay in here, we won't get any rest."

She made the mistake of looking over her bare shoulder back at him and before she knew it he pulled her back in the bed next to him.

"Valancy Redfern, I will love you forever."

"Barney Snaith, I will love you forever—more."


End file.
